Keyboard operated signal storage device



' June 12, 1934- Vo. WOLTERS ET A1. 1,952,375

KEYBOARD OPERATED SIGNAL STORAGE DEVICE Filed Feb. 16, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 '.Wmne 12, 1934. o. WOLTERS ET AL 1,962,375

I KEYBOARD OPERATED SIGNAL STORAGE DEVICE Filed Feb. 16, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @sA/mc, f-

Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,962,375 `KEYBOARD OPERATED SIGNAL STOBAG DEVICE Otto Wolters,Y Magdeburg, and Karl Hper, Berlin- Charlottenburg, Germany; said Hper assignor to said Wolters Application February 16, 1933, Serial No. 656,996

Germany March 3, 1932 High speed telegraphy could become more economical and take over a great portion of the daily postal correspondence if the public supplied to the 'telegraph oiiices transmission rec- 5 ords in technically perfect form for the mechanical telegraphic transmission. For producing such records a transmission record writing machine is essentiahwhich overcomes the results of unrhythmic striking of the keys without reducing the speed of typing and of transmission. i In this connection the so-called start-stop telegraphic transmitters (jump writing machines) have attained a certain importance for dealing directly with the public. the unrhythmic work of an unskilled typist is equalized by introducing a start stop current step between every two sign steps. The introduction ofthe two' safety steps results, however, in an.

. undesirable retardation of the operation to such an extent that the transmitting efficiency of the high speed telegraphy amounts to at themost one third of its maximum attainable speed.

It has only been possible to introduce the startstop telegraphy chiey in service on private in-V stallations and in countries with very long lines of communication. Its long telephonie conversations, presents certain advantages but an increase in the public telegraphic communicationis not achieved thereby.

In order to free the producing of controlling bands for yautomatic -telegraphing and mechanical composingof the accidents and inaccuracies of direct perforating by the key depression and to avoid the subsequent correcting of a perforated band, the direct effect of thekey` depression in known constructions is limited to theadjusting of a provisional arrangement, which is used for the releasing of the punching mechanism only after the termination of the lineby feeling off the marks on the elements of the provisional matter with a suitable mechanism; The feeling, if mechanically controlled, can be carried out in a certain rhythm resulting in mechanically uniform transmission of the groups of signs,

whereas the preparatory writing operation may be carried out unrhythmically. `The known constructions and indications relate to the operation `of freely movable stop elements in the circulation of composing and distributing and result in rather large and complicated machines, which in the flrst place are suitable for the purposes of bookprinting trade in connection with long distance composing. i

As compared therewith the invention relates to the construction of a small typewriter-like In these transmitters employment, instead of 4 arrangement, in which only one set of stops is employed which stops, shiftably mounted in a stationary frame, produce the form to be written (adjusting track). Thus, the forms to be felt oif produced by selection on the keyboard are 30 destroyed again during the feeling operation without detrimentally influencing the suitably overlapping operations of the writing, which takes place unrhythmically and more slowly, and

of the feeling ofi, which takes place rhythmically 35 and more quickly. The arrangement does not only possess the advantage to'supply a completely finished band but it enables to insert subsequently during the punching regular auxiliary signs such as those for the starting and stopping steps in the jump writing machines and to relieve the key `striking work. The most essential parts of the arrangement of the transmitter strip writer are illustrated by `way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which the action of the keyboard on the stop elements has not been taken into consideration. Many kinds of transmission of this kind are known.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows in front elevation partly in sec- 30 tion the general arrangement of the most necessary parts.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a transmission from key lever to bell-crank lever.

Fig. 3 shows a short portion of an adjusting 85 track with the adjusting elements or stops inserted in the holding frame.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation partly in section showing the adjusting track.

The adjusting track consists of a holding frame E and of stop `elements 1 mounted therein, which elements, as .shown in Fig. 3 are separated by intermediate plates 2 and slipped on shafts 3. The adjusting elements are covered at each end by a thick plate 5, 6 respectively and pressed together 95 by springs 8. The shafts 3 are fixed in the lateral track bars 10 and held in the bar 9 by nuts or pins 11. Fig. 1 shows a portion of the adjusting track over the holding frame E of which the writing carriage S runs with rollers 12 and 13 on two 10o rails 14, oneof -which is shown in the drawings. Thrust pins 15, only one of which is shown in the drawings are accommodated in the writing carriage S. The number of adjusting marks or stops and of thrust pins depends upon the number of signs to be transmitted or adjusted. *A lever 17 which acts on the thrust pins is keyed on anv axle 16. On the portion of this axle 16 which is situated outside the writing carriage S a lever 18 ls keyed, the two levers 17 and 18 forming together a 110 bell crank lever. One bell crank lever 16, 17, 18 is required for each thrust pin 15 accommodated in the writing carriage S and on each of the bell crank levers a bar 19 acts. Fig. 2 shows diagrammatically the action of a key of the keyboard on the bell-crank levers 16, 17, 18. A key lever 20 is mounted on a shaft 2l and hingedly connected at a to a connecting rod 23. The connecting rod 23 is connected at its other end to a one-armed lever 24 oscillatably mounted on a shaft 25. The free end b of the lever 24 acts on the bar 19 which is fixed along its entire length for effecting a parallel downward movement. Several projecting arms 22 may be fixed on the connecting rod 23 in order to actuate several bell-crank levers 16, 17, 18 to push forward several thrust pins 15 at the same time. The bell crank levers 16, 17, 18 and therewith the thrust pins 15 are held in inoperative position by springs 25a. The writing carriage S is pulled towards the right by a clock spring mounted in the spring barrel 26 and a string 27. The feeding of the carriage is effected by a ratchet wheel or toothed locking mechanism such as is often employed in feeding mechanisms and typewriters and is released at the same time when the key lever is depressed.

A feeler carriage A runs below the adjusting track E for feeling and transmitting the adjusting marks to a Contact arrangement or for actuating a punching mechanism for producing a punched strip. This feeler carriage A consists of a hollow body with four walls, and it rests with reinforcements c on a spindle 28 and slides on a bar 31 by means of a roller 29 fixed to its lfront wall by a neck screw 30. The spindle 28 serves at the same time for feeding the feeler carriage, which is shifted intermittently by stopping a clutch after each rotation or by star wheel control.

Feeler levers 32 vcorresponding in number to the number of adjacent adjusting marks of stops are accommodated in the feeler carriage They lie side by side correspondingly spaced to the stops and are mounted on a shaft 33, they are pulled towards the left by springs 34 and bear against an abutment 35. A pawl 36 is mounted on each feeler lever 32, the tooth of the pawl engaging with the teeth of a rack 38, whereas the second arrn of the pawl 36 bears against an abutment 39. An elbow lever 40, pivotally mounted on a shaft 41 on the "right side of the machine, is hingedly connected to the rack 38. A cam 42 releases the elbow lever 40 between the feeding movements of the feeler carriage, or the elbow levers can follow the path of the cam 42 by means of a spring 43 when a feeler lever 32 becomes operative.

Whilst the feeler carriage is in the position of rest a rack 44 controlled by a cam, not shown in the drawings, acts on a detent 45 pivotally mounted on an arm of a two-armed lever 46. This lever 46.is keyed on a shaft 47. The other arm of the'two-armed lever 46 engages at h on a frame composed of a bar 48, two side arms 49 and a shaft 50 and shifts this frame to the left in a slotted guide, whereby at i the adjusting mark or stop, which had last been felt off or read, is returned into the inoperative position.v This returning of the stops can also be effected by the backward movement of the writing or feeler carriage.

The operation is as follows:-

When a written text is to be set by 'a transmission strip writing machine or transposed or transmitted thereby, the writing carriage S stands with the thrust pins 15 directed towards the first row of adjusting marks or stop's at i. At every depression of a. key one or several thrust pins are pushed to the left and the stops situated in front of the actuated pins are brought into the position indicated at z' and at the same time the writing carriage S is fed forward one step. The adjusting marks which are pressed together by the springs 8 are held by friction in their adjusted position.

The adjusting track arranged for about 60 signs and adjusting roWs can be operated by a typist in sitting position. At the end of the adjusting track the writing carriage S is freed from its locking device by levers and pushed back into its initial position against the action of the spring 26. As soon as the writing carriage is liberated, the clutch for the feed of the feeler carriage is engaged, so that this carriage is intermittently fed towards the right by the spindle 28. In the intervals between the feeding of the feeler carriage the cam 42 releases the racks 38 controlled by the spring 38 and these racks at the same time actuate `the elbow levers 32, when their feeler o is opposite a gap caused by the adjustment of the stops l. In this instance the elbow lever 40 can swing outwards and this movement is utilized for closing contacts at p or, if a perforated strip is to be produced, for actuating a punching mechanism. During the interval of rest and during the feeling operation a pull is exerted on the rack 44 and is transmitted by thel pawl 45 upon the two-armed lever 46. This lever acts on the return feed frame 48, 49, 50 and shifts back the stops 1 of the preceding row into their initial positions.

When the feeler carriage has passed the adjusted sign track, that is when all the adjusted stops have been transmitted and returned into their initial position, it is declutched, whereupon the spindle 28 rotates in the opposite direction and the carriage is returned into its initial position and locked until again released by the pushing back of the writing carriage.

When the writing carriage is brought into its initial position, the writing of the text can bc continued as the feeling off can be adjusted to operate so quickly that the typist cannot keep pace therewith. The stops are, however, immediately returned into their initial position after the feeling off.

'I'he typist can also check the accuracy of the Written text of a complete adjusting track, as the adjusted mark or stop combinations are easy to read like combinations in Morse or other code. The typist can then easily correct any errors with the aid of -a small hand instrument, such as an awl.

In the specification the adjusting of the sign combinations is assumed to be according to the ve finger alphabet usedr for high speed telegraphy. By arrangement for a group of seven strips, the figure sets of automatic composing machines can also be punched. As the transmitter strip writing machine may also be provided with a measuring device for counting the the width values of the signs, the production of a typographically correct line setting presents no difficulty. As the puching is also effected in the writing direction, it is also possible to assemble exceptionally long lines from part compositions. The line spacing is easily effected by a line end mark which is punched in apcertain combination.

Further, the arrangement of a printing mechanism for producing a clear written proof offers no difficulties. The transmission strips can also be punched or printed in their mark symbols as desired in order to render them suitable for mechanical, electro-mechanical or photo-electrical feeling off.

The adjusting track can be made exchangeable, so that commenced Work need not be destroyed, for carrying out more urgent work, Longer tracks fitted by exchanging can be completely written by readjusting.

We claim:-

1. A keyboard operated signal storage device for register strip perforating machines, comprising in combination a stationary stop track, axles fixed in said track, stops rotatable on said axles in the direction of the line, said stop accessible for correcting purposes, a selector carriage movable along one side of said track, hand operated means for moving said selector carriage step-wise at irregular speed, a number of selecting needles in said selector carriage adapted to turn said stops, a feeler carriage movable along the opposite side of said track, and a mechanism for mechanically moving said feeler carriage along said track at a set by said writing carriage, and means for alternately shifting both of said carriages in the same direction.

3. In a keyboard operated signal storage device as specified in claim 1 an adjusting track comprising in combination with the stops and feeler means, a holder frame holding said stops by friction so that they can be felt off and transmitted by said feeler means.

4. A keyboard operated signal storage device as specified in claim l, in which the selected and felt off stops are returned into their initial position immediately after having been felt off.

5. A keyboard operated signal storage device as specified in claim 1, comprising in combination with the stops, an adjusting track carrying said stops, a writing carriage slidable over said track, means for intermittently feeding said carriage over said track, thrust pins in said carriage adapted to set said stops, and a key mechanism adapted to actuate said pins to set said stops according to the operated keys.

6. A keyboard operated signal storage device as specified in claim 1, comprising in combination with the stops and the means for'setting said stops, an adjusting track carrying said stops, a writing carriage slidable over said track, means for intermittently feeding said carriage over said track, thrust pins in said carriage adapted to set said stops, a key mechanism adapted to actuate said pins to set said stops according to the operated keys, and parallelly and vertically shiftable bars adapted to transmit the movement of said key mechanism to said pins` '1. In a keyboard operated signal storage device as specified in claim 1, feeling oi means comprising in combination with the stops, a carriage, feeler levers mounted on said carriage adapted to be actuated by said stops, a recording mechanism, means for transmitting the movement of said stops to said recording mechanism with mechanical regularity. and a spindle adapted to rhythmically feed said carriage past said stops.

8. A keyboard operated signal storage device as specified in claim 1, comprising in combination with the stops and the feeling off and transmitting means, a writing carriage slidable over said stops, thrust pins in said carriage adaptedto set said stops, feeler elements in said feeling off means, and racks adapted to actuate said pins to set said stops and said feeler elements to feel off said set stops and transmit the set combination in each progressive position.

9. A keyboard operated signal storage device as specied in claim 1, comprising in combination "f with the stops, each consisting of a plurality of rings each having a central bore, twp opposite projections, a shaft rotatably carrying said rings by their central bore, thrust elements adapted to act on one of said projections to set said rings,`

and feeler levers adapted to return said rings into their initial position.

OTTO WOLTERS. KARL HPER. 

